ALBSTADT, Germany — June 25, 2018 — On Tuesday, June 19, 2018, Groz-Beckert invited international guests to Albstadt for the textile symposium for the third time. Under the title “The Fabric Year 2018”, the company provided insights into the current market developments. Around 150 guests from more than 20 countries from Asia, America and Europe followed the invitation.

Eric Schöller, member of the Executive Board Groz-Beckert, who opened the Fabric Year, welcomed the participants. The first presentation of the day was given by Dr. Josef Braml, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik e. V., and focused on the global competition between the USA and China, as well as the implications for Europe.

Andreas Engelhardt, Groz-Beckert Product Marketing and Innovation, then presented key messages from his established yearbook “The Fiber Year”, which he has been publishing as the owner of the company of the same name for many years. He reported that the global fiber industry achieved a growth of around 4 percent in 2017, after four years of falling growth rates. Although synthetic fibers continued to build on their prominent market position in the sector, natural fibers also experienced a more dynamic growth — a development that has not been seen since 2001.

Once the foundations had been laid with the extracts from the Fiber Year, Andreas Engelhardt and Martin Weiler, Groz-Beckert Market Research, moved on with the Fabric Year with the observations of the development and the current status of the national fiber and fabric production — always divided into knitted and woven fabric, as well as nonwovens. The markets in Vietnam and Indonesia were addressed first. An important common feature of both markets was the growing dependency on imports of fiber material, which is particularly relevant in light of the extremely dynamic expansion in fabric production.

This information was the ideal basis for the subsequent presentation held by Gail Strickler, President of Global Trade Brookfield Associates. She was a key player in the negotiations for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) for textile-related issues and has been active in the private textile sector for many years. Her presentation addressed the Transpacific Partnership from the Asian perspective, the status of negotiations and the expected implications of the agreement for the global textile trade.

Over the course of the day, Andreas Engelhardt and Martin Weiler gave insights into the developments of further key textile markets. The developments in China, India and Bangladesh, as well as the USA, were outlined in a block of presentations. A second presentation from Gail Strickler followed on the topic of the United States. In this presentation, she provided exciting insights into the US trade policy and the status of negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

There then followed a detailed examination of the markets in Germany, Italy and Turkey. Production in Germany has stabilized over the past few years at a comparatively high level and the textile industry in Italy — as a renowned fashion center in Europe — has also experienced a revival recently. An interesting outlook on the Italian fashion market was also provided by Dr. Davide Bonassi from the Italian Hosiery Association.

Engelhardt and Weiler completed the block of presentations with a worldwide summary, complete with an outlook through to 2022. Growth potential has been highlighted for all fabric production technologies, with particularly high growth levels in knitwear and nonwovens.

The “The Fabric Year 2018” concluded with an evening buffet dinner, which offered space for discussions and exchanges.

Posted June 25, 2018

Source: Groz-Beckert

NEW YORK CITY — June 22, 2018 — Katsu New York, a 30-year-old textile company that specializes in Japanese mills and high quality fabrics will be hosting its platform launch party. Celebrating on July 16, 2018, from 4-7 p.m. in their offices (Suite 7501) at the Empire State Building. Cocktails will follow alongside a preview of the Fall/Winter 2019 Collection where visitors can make their first purchases through the platform. Designers and brands from the fashion and interior design industries will get to explore the site and experience how simple it will be to make various types of textile purchases online all through a single cart and check-out process. As what has been a very traditionally offline purchasing process, industry members will now have more options, flexibility, and convenience in their textile selections, saving more time and money. To RSVP to the launch party go to:  https://fw19katsutechstyle.app.rsvpify.com

Katsu New York was established in May 1988 and founded by President Katsuhiko Kawasaki. With its mission of proposing high-quality and sustainable textiles with more transparency in the supply chain, Katsu New York aims to bring Japanese taste to the US market at competitive prices. Ranging from customers such as Theory, Banana Republic, rag & bone, J. Crew, Club Monaco, and more, Katsu New York offers a diverse range of quality textiles to meet many needs. With the launch Katsu TechStyle, Katsu New York is committed to being a leader in the textile industry that revolves around technology, style, and humanity.

Posted June 22, 2018

Source: Katsu New York

WICHITA, Kan.  — June 21, 2018 — INVISTA’s CORDURA® brand continues its commitment to inspiring the designs of tomorrow through sponsorship of the ‘Professional Clothing Awards’ (PCA) VISION 2018 international student design competition. At Wednesday’s gala event in London, the award winners were announced including the overall winner, Summer Gill from Bedford College and the recipient of the Cordura Durable Design Award, Thomas Davidson from Manchester Fashion Institute.

The PCA VISION 2018 awards exist to inspire and honor best-in-class innovative, stylish and functional workwear, corporate clothing and PPE designs of the future from textile and fashion students.

This year, the contest was opened to students from participating universities and colleges across Europe for the first ever pan-European contest. Students were challenged to develop unique designs that not only help meet the needs of the workers but enhance their ability to perform the job as well.

The overall winning design from Summer Gill was created with airport personnel in mind and demonstrated creativity, versatility, professionalism and technical understanding of the job requirements. “I was inspired by streetwear fashion and wanted to create a garment that was both practical for work and fashionable enough to wear off the job,” said Gill. “The detailed shapes on both my outer jacket and trousers were inspired by airport runway markings, a direct link to my chosen job of airport ground staff.”

The Cordura Durable Design Award is a special designation to acknowledge the student designer who best demonstrates a 360-degree approach to functional workwear. The design had to reflect a thorough understanding of the challenges faced on the jobsite, and present innovative durable solutions to meet the needs of the worker. Thomas Davidson’s design was creative, commercial and practical for professional tradesman.

“I decided to take on the PCA VISION brief to challenge myself within my design work to create garments with a functional purpose,” said Davidson. “Being quite a denim-head and using the theme of ‘vintage versus modern workwear’, I was ecstatic to find out that Cordura brand had created a denim specially for workwear purposes.”

Filipe Santana of the University of Lisbon, Portugal and recipient of the PCA VISION 2018 YKK® Award presented a design intended to be worn by sports coaches or personal trainers in a health club chain with functionality and versatility for employee roles both indoors and outdoors. He joined the competition for the opportunity to expand his limitations as a designer and to “have a close, direct relationship with the industry and international brands.”

“It’s been an honor to once again collaborate with the well-renowned Professional Clothing Awards during its 10th anniversary year. Through student design competitions, we often discover that it’s the students who teach us the most, giving us the opportunity to see our technologies come to life in new and innovative ways because of their unique and fresh perspectives,” said Cindy McNaull, global Cordura brand and marketing director. “We know how important it is to not only believe in the future, but to invest in it as well, by inspiring the next generation of designers who are committed to helping workers Live Durable™.”

Posted June 22, 2018

Source: INVISTA’s CORDURA® brand

LONDON — June 22, 2018 —   Anifa launched its Kickstarter campaign today for its waterproof TechKnit jacket. Anifa’s aim is to provide a more comfortable, stretchable fabric than any other waterproof outerwear on the market, all while keeping form and fashion in mind.

TechKnit by Anifa is designed for all-weather comfort, functionality and style.

Former soccer star Michael Owen, whose career included three World Cups, 89 games (caps) and 40 goals for England, collaborated with Anifa founder Simon Kuong on the project.

“Simon and I put in a lot of hard work into creating this activewear breakthrough,” Owen said. “It’s stretchable so it’s very comfortable to wear, it’s airy so it’s nice and cool, and it’s waterproof as well. The advanced fabric is from Japan and it’s the highest quality. Of course it looks great as well so it’s one of my favorites.”

The fabric, from Japanese manufacturer Toyobo, uses a special knit structure. That material makes the TechKnit Jacket unique on the market — stretchable and breathable like a knit fabric, but still waterproof and wind-resistant.

The TechKnit Jacket offers maximum versatility because it’s durable enough to wear in wet and windy weather, comfortable enough to wear when the weather is not so threatening, and fashionable enough to wear anywhere.

It all adds up in the TechKnit name — technology + knit. The company name, Anifa, is derived from George Orwell’s ANImal FArm; part of the company’s core mission — to bring more wellness and fairness to society by using technology in fashion. And that includes the blockchain technology.

On the blockchain front — in collaboration with Global Crypto Offering Exchange (GCOX), Anifa is one of world’s first OWN-accredited business, Anifa will work closely with GCOX for future celebs apparel and also accept Acclaimed tokens (ACM) and all celebs token including Michael Owen tokens (OWN) as mode of payment. On July 3rd, 2018, at the Berlin Fashion Week, GCOX will host the official launch of the co-brand ‘Michael Owen X Anifa’.

“When I look at Anifa I don’t see just a fashion brand. I see an innovative team that is building a unique platform for fashion designers, material scientists, and celebrities in perfect alignment,” said Sir Dr Jeffrey Lin, GCOX co-founder and CEO. “It’s true blockchain at work in a new vertical and that is incredible. I see their DNA in this jacket.”

Simon Kuong founded Anifa in 2017 with the goal of creating the future of activewear. Kuong is thrilled to have Owen on board.

“It’s an honor to collaborate with Michael in this project,” Kuong said. “He’s a legend in football and he has given us a lot of ideas on the research and design process. As an elite athlete, his experience has been invaluable, helping us to bring Anifa to a whole new level.”

TechKnit by Anifa features include:

• Special lamination, providing top water-repelling function;
• High-density wind resistance with 0.3 CC level;
• Extra soft and stretchable material for maximum comfort;
• Innovative fabric designed by the Toyobo company of Japan;
• Hidden inner pockets;
• Double zipper;
• Velcro loop on the sleeves; and
• echKnit Jackets come in a variety of color.

Posted June 22, 2018

Source: ANIFA

CYPRESS, Calif. — June 21, 2018 — Manhattan Beachwear Inc. is proud to announce a global partnership with BCBG Group. Manhattan Beachwear will collaborate on the design and distribution of women’s swimwear for BCBGMAXAZRIA and BCBGeneration. The collections will launch globally for Fall 2018.

Manhattan Beachwear is excited to take its expertise of the swimwear industry and create swim collections that reflect the modern, romantic style that is BCBG. The women’s collections will be available at BCBGMAXAZRIA stores, BCBG.com, BCBGeneration.com and select retailers worldwide.

Kevin F. Mahoney, president and CEO of Manhattan Beachwear, stated: “We are pleased and excited to enter into a partnership with Marquee Brands.  Having world class brands in BCBGMAXAZRIA and BCBGeneration, added to our stable of blue chip swimwear brands, is very complimentary to our strategic goals.”

Posted June 21, 2018

Source: Manhattan Beachwear

NEW YORK CITY — June 21, 2018 —   Adore Me, the disruptive e-commerce lingerie startup, revolutionizing the lingerie industry by creating fast-fashion, affordable, inclusive intimates — has won the 2018 Customer Contact Week Award in the category “Best in Class Omnichannel Experience.”

The CCW Excellence Awards honor, recognize and promote individuals and teams who have made a commitment to driving superior customer contact and CX performance. The awards are dedicated to recognizing world-class thinking, creativity and execution across the full spectrum of contact center functions.

The Best in Class Omnichannel Experience category is awarded to the customer contact organization driving a truly frictionless customer experience. The selected organization allows their customers to work within their preferred channel at their convenience in a seamless manner.

Adore Me’s vice president of Customer Engagement, Nicolas Capuono, was honored with the Best in Class Omnichannel Experience award during Tuesday’s award ceremony at The Mirage in Las Vegas.

“We’re very excited to be recognized as a 2018 CCW Award winner for our tactile customer relationship practices,” said Nicolas Capuono. “Since inception, we’ve focused on providing a customer-centric experience — therefore, being awarded in the Best in Class Omnichannel Experience Award means a lot to me and my team.”

Posted June 21, 2018

Source: Adore Me